Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1887-12-16

zler ashore, and "a lazy, sulky animal
anoat, and that all that could be got
out of him at sea must be got at the
ropes end. He never gave an order
but with an oath, and the day on a
voyage that he did not knock down a
seaman, either with his fist, or hand
spike. was IA rare day. Captain Con
verse depIoreI his bad temper and
savage ways, and had often serlouly
talked with him on the suhJect; hut
he could not be changed. The iact
was. the Captain was too easy man
to be in authority anywhere, and es-
pecally over such tyrannlcal brute
as Kinds was. The crews Of his ships
suffered everything, because the Cap
tain had not force Of character enough
to interfere between the mate and the
men. And be kept Mr.. Kinds In
place because he found him useful
his knowledge Of navigation was great
and he had sailed in almost every
known sea.
Against his protest, the Captain
engaged a cabin boy for this voyage.
He was the orphan grandson of one
the legless veterans Of the ROval Navy.
and he had been about Greenwich
Hospital so much, and heard SO many
stirring stories of the sea from the dis
4bled and superanuuated tarS laid up
there, that he was longing to make Il
voyage. Captain Converse liked the
bright looks and manly talk, and
took him on this voyage. The boy
name was Rodney Barre
1t is not necessary to the proper un-
derstanding of the story that all that
befel the ship and her crew on the
voyage down the Atlantic and around
the Horn should be told. 1t was q
voyage of many weeks, as It Is now,
under sail. The Captain was mild
and easy as ever; the mate was quite
AS brutal us h. hal ever been known
10 b., aud the q ilck, bright cabin. boy
Kept his eyes aud ears open and learn
ID something new every day aoont
sea, farlng.
It Was when the Cynthia had got
we'll mp in the lDw Iattudes OF the
Pacific t7.t a great disaster happen
ed.
F,r a week the Captain had been
confined Ia his berth IN his cabin by
a low. lisile.s ship fever. In that
week he MAS unable to visit the deck
and Rodney was busy attending to
MIN. The ships chest had le"
simple drugs and remedies, Of which
every ship master Was Supposed tc
.aox the us.. aud Captain Convers,
attempted to prescribe for hInseli.-
lie did not make much OF u success o.
u.
think that If he hal known hall
the shocking Treatment that the mae
vas dealing ont 10 the sailors n
would hav, ct nron deck some wa!
and stopped 1t; but he did not, Mr
Hrnds' bru'a ity went on till the catas
trophe came.
1t came on still. quite night. whe:
the ship was hardly moving through
the water. The Captain was siightl,
dellrious, aud Rodney Was awake al
most the who'll night, "ettng HI
head. and giving him powders an'
drink. About mldnlght the cabin
hoy heard strange noises from the deci
There were shouts and cries. plsto
shot: and later. the sound of oars II
the water. rounding the ships stern
Rodney locked out through the bull
rye widow, but the night MAS DARK
I and nothing WAS In sight.
lie thought he would 90 cautiousl
"a the deck and recounoltre. lie trI
ed the cabin door, and found 1t lock
ed.
When the long hours Of the nigh
had passed. the Captain woke from IN
slumber and was conscious. The bo
told him what he heard.
Something dreadful has happened
the Captain groaned. Take a natche
from the locker, break the lock OF tn
door. and find out what's wrong.
Something very dreadful had hap
pened. and Rodney VAS not long /
| tinding it out. Tie mate was proI
ped up against the foremaS', with tw
knives driven through his breas
aud a bullet-hole in his head.
white paper was pinned to his Goa
scrawled over with rude character:
which the boy deciphereI as follo"i
Sir Cap: We likes you. and W
would not hurt you nor the boy; bu
this here brute had to pot where tn
devil will give him the rope S end
We start him on his vige, aud We goe
our ways. Fair we'll, and may yo
make port safe.
All around this queer letter wei
81 .ned the names of the se.men, 'roun
robin style. SO that, in case they wer
caught, the names Of the rlngleade'
would not b. known.
Rodney looked from the lorlib
spectacle of the deck and saw Thu
there was dead calm. The sea W,
like glass. The sails Of the Cynth
idly tapped from the yards. Not al
other sail was in sight. The mutir
Gus and the runaway crew had take
the long boat and the jolly boat an
were far beyond call or sight.
Rodney took the paper and wei
, back to the cabin. The Captain. wea
f and sick as he was, helpless aud III
nerved, heard the boys accounts an
fell back groaning or his pillow.
| God be merciiul to us = he erie
at is judgement upon us for n
V stanhtng between Kinds aud my po
sailors | knew my duty, and l. d
A it not, Boy, we shall s'arve we sha
o DRIFT helpless until the storms car
f us to the bottom Poor innocent tn
o that you are, | have involved you
IA my punishment" :. =.
koduey Barre. was hut twel ye yea
F. old but the child Is the father of t
n man. and the hero spirit of'his la'